Deuteronomy 23

1 No man whose genitals have been damaged or cut off is allowed to enter the Lord's sanctuary.

He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD.

2 No one of mixed race is allowed to enter the Lord's sanctuary, and none of his descendants may do so either, up to the tenth generation.

A bastard shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none of his enter into the assembly of the LORD.

3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants are allowed to enter the Lord's sanctuary, up to the tenth generation.

An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none belonging to them enter into the assembly of the LORD for ever:

4 For they did not come to meet you with food and water on your journey from Egypt, and they hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor in Mesopotamia, to curse you.

because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

5 But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam. The Lord your God turned what was meant to be a curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.

Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.

6 Don't arrange a peace treaty with them or help them out as long as you live.

Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

7 Don't look down on an Edomite, for they are your relatives. Don't look down on an Egyptian either, because you lived as foreigners in their country.

Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.

8 The third generation of their children are allowed to enter the Lord's sanctuary.

The children of the third generation that are born unto them shall enter into the assembly of the LORD.

9 When you are in an army camp during a war with your enemies, make sure you avoid anything wrong.

When thou goest forth in camp against thine enemies, then thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing.

10 Any man there who becomes unclean because of a release of semen must leave the camp and remain outside.

If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of that which chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:

11 Towards the end of the day he must wash himself with water, and at sunset he may return to the camp.

but it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water: and when the sun is down, he shall come within the camp.

12 Choose a place outside the camp to be used as a toilet.

Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:

13 You need to have a spade as part of your equipment so that you can dig a hole, and then when you're finished you can cover up your excrement.

and thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:

14 The Lord your God is present with you in your camp to keep you safe and to defeat your enemies. Your camp must be kept holy, because if he sees anything unclean among you and he will leave you.

for the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

15 Don't send a slave back to their master if they have come to you for protection.

Thou shalt not deliver unto his master a servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:

16 Let the slave live in your country wherever they want, in whatever town they want. Don't mistreat them.

he shall dwell with thee, in the midst of thee, in the place which he shall choose within one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.

17 No Israelite women or men are to be cult prostitutes.

There shall be no harlot of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

18 Don't bring into the house of the Lord your God any money from a prostitute, whether a woman or a man, using it to fulfill a promise to the Lord, for both are offensive to the Lord your God.

Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the wages of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

19 Don't charge a fellow Israelite interest on money, food, or any other kind of loan.

Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:

20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not an Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you do in the country that you are going in to occupy.

unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou puttest thine hand unto, in the land whither thou goest in to possess it.

21 If you make a promise to the Lord your God, don't be slow in keeping it, because he will definitely demand that you fulfill it and you will be guilty of sin if you don't.

When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

22 If you don't make such promises then you won't be guilty of sin.

But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

23 But make sure to carry out what you've said to the Lord your God, because it was you who freely chose to make such a promise.

That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt observe and do; according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, a freewill offering, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

24 When you walk through your neighbor's vineyard, you can eat as many grapes as you want, but you must not collect any to take with you.

When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.

25 When you walk through your neighbor's grainfield, you may pick the ears of grain with your hand, but you must not use a sickle to harvest it.

When thou comest into thy neighbour’s standing corn, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn.